LAS VEGAS—Peace of mind doesn't come cheap. Many of PCMag's favorite security cameras will set you back about $150 for the hardware alone, not to mention separate subscriptions for more advanced features and cloud storage. Canary is looking to take a stab at the more affordable side of the market with its $99 View indoor camera. I got a chance to check it out at CES.

In terms of design, the View is nearly identical to Canary's eponymous all-in-one camera, which also pulls double duty as a siren and air monitor for $169. The main differences are the View's graphite color scheme and minimalist port options. This time around, Canary has done away with the Ethernet jack and opted for just a micro USB port and power jack. According to Canary, this is because the View will operate solely off of Wi-Fi as a means to streamline the setup process.

Functionally, the View also does away with the original Canary's 90-decibel siren and HomeHealth technology, which monitors air quality, temperature, and humidity. Given the View's lower price, this is a reasonable trade-off. Otherwise, it features the same 147-degree field of view, 1080p HD camera resolution, motion detector, and night vision. To get two-way talking, you'll have to pay an extra $9.99 per month.

The View can also stream its feed to supported Amazon Alexa devices, such as the Echo Spot and Echo Show($85.22 at Amazon) . This skill isn't available just yet, but should be rolling out across all Canary devices later this year. Person detection is also expected to launch in early 2018.

So will the View replace its pricier counterpart? Not necessarily. Canary says it considers the View as part of an ecosystem, meant for rooms where you might want a camera but not necessarily a siren.

With the $120 Amazon Cloud Cam, the $60 Tend Secure Lynx, and the $20 WyzeCam, the security camera market is becoming a lot more affordable. How will the View stack up? We'll have to see when it comes out this spring.

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About Victoria Song

Victoria Song was a wearables and smart home analyst at PCMag. Since graduating from Temple University's Japan Campus in 2010, she's been found reporting and editing in every corner of the newsroom at The ACCJ Journal, The Japan News, and New York bureau of The Yomiuri Shimbun. In her spare time, she bankrupts herself going to theater, buying expansions to board games, and cleaning out the stacks at The Strand. Someday, she hopes Liverpool FC will win the league, but she isn't holding her breath.

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